Trump’s Nomination and Immunity Affirm the Need for Pro-Democracy Bills
In former President Donald Trump’s rambling speech at the Republican National Convention, he — as did many of his surrogates — repeated lies about the 2020 election. It was another disturbing reminder of the threats to our democracy, to our right to vote and to fair representation.
Compounding those threats is the recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court’s right-wing extremist majority to give the former president, a convicted felon, immunity while he’s under indictment for attempting to overturn the election and sparking the deadly attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Donald Trump spread misinformation, threatened election officials and encouraged his supporters to do so as well. He also appointed federal judges and justices hostile to voting rights and pushed policies to restrict access to the ballot.
All of this reaffirms the monumental need to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act.
We must also remember the threats to democracy aren’t from Trump alone. A decade ago, in Shelby v. Holder, the conservative majority on the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act (VRA) of 1965, which had blocked discriminatory voting laws before they could take effect for decades.
Following the decision, a wave of restrictive voting bills, extreme gerrymandering, voter roll purges, and polling location closings — all targeting voters of colors — swept the country.
Three years earlier, in the Citizens United v. FEC decision, the Court’s majority unleashed a flood of dark money into our politics.
This dark money has not only overwhelmed the voices of everyday Americans. It has been used to end affirmative action and undermine civil rights, workers’ rights, reproductive rights and social justice. It’s been used to coordinate the passage of a historic number of anti-voting laws and extreme gerrymandering that has diluted the political power of millions of minority voters in states across the country.
This persistent erosion of our democracy has set the stage for the political extremism threatening our democracy today.
Rep. Terri Sewell (D-Ala.) authored the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and coauthored the Freedom to Vote Act to restore and fortify the guardrails that protect democracy and ensure its resilience against extremism. The bills, in tandem, are the top legislative priorities for Defend The Vote Action Fund, which aims to pass pro-democracy federal legislation to ensure everyone has an equal voice in the system.
Those who are attacking our freedom to vote, denying election results, harassing election workers and threatening political violence are relentless.
The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would modernize and restore the full protections of the VRA.
States and local governments with histories of discrimination would once again have changes to their voting laws reviewed in order to prevent restrictive, discriminatory voting laws from taking effect.
The Freedom to Vote Act would also protect and expand our voting rights.
The first section of the bill includes the John Lewis Voter Empowerment Act. It sets national standards that expand access to voting and voter registration through tools such as automatic voter registration, same-day registration, early voting, voting by mail and drop boxes.
It prohibits voter restrictions and suppression tactics such as improper voter purges, long lines and denying food or drink to voters waiting in line.
The bill puts an end to extreme partisan and racial gerrymandering by requiring states to abide by specific criteria for drawing congressional district maps. It makes judicial remedies available if states fail to comply.
Additionally, it provides local election workers with the resources and support to run free and fair elections, including upgrading aging equipment, defending against physical and cyber security threats and fighting misinformation.
Finally, the bill bans dark money and cracks down on super PACs, bringing transparency to the system and helping to ensure that voters’ voices aren’t drowned out.
These bills have the support of every Democrat in Congress. President Joe Biden, who called the preservation of American democracy “the central cause” of his presidency, also supports the bills, as does Vice President Kamala Harris, who has been a leading voice calling on Congress to pass them.
Congress should pass these bills without hesitation. Those who are attacking our freedom to vote, denying election results, harassing election workers and threatening political violence are relentless. It is imperative that we do not relent.
Generations of Americans, many in Alabama, have marched, bled, been jailed and some even died for the right to vote. They overcame barriers and violence in their time to move us forward in this fight for democracy. They believed in the promise of our nation. They believed in the power of “one person, one vote.”
As we take on threats today, whether they are from Trump, MAGA extremists or white nationalists, we will continue the work toward ensuring equal opportunity to vote in safe and accessible elections, toward a democracy that works for everyone, and toward building a more perfect union.
Rep. Terri Sewell represents Alabama’s 7th Congressional district and is the ranking member of the Elections Subcommittee on the House Administration Committee. She is the author of the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act.
Brian Lemek is the founder and executive director of Defend the Vote Action Fund.